Gearing for washing-machines.



W. SWEET. GEARING FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLIOATIQN FILED NOV. 2 1907' I Patented Dec. 8,1908.

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.fi-g ATTORNEYS W/T/VESSES.

' MW 2W2 UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

WARREN SWEET, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE V. 'BLAOKSTONE,OF JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK.

GEARING FOR WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. s, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN SWEET, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fort Wayne, in the county of Allen, in the State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gearing forWashing-Machines; and I 'do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to improvements in gearing for washing machines,and is specially designed and adapted for employment in that type ofwashing machines in which an alternate reversal of the agitator shaft isrequired.

The prime object of my present invention is to provide mechanism foroperating washing machines of the rotary ty e, of comparatively'sim le,reliable and e cient construction, in w ich the balance wheel is given agreater speed than the power-shaft, thereby imparting to the balancewheel sufficient momentum in use to materially lessen the labor ofactuating the power-shaft and its driven connections, and to aid inovercoming any unusual strain or obstruction to the movements of theagitator shaft, as in the momentary bunching of the clothes in the tuband the like. v

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved means fortransforming the continuous rotary motion of the power shaft into analternating motion of the driven or agitator shaft.

My invention consists of a driving shaft and a driven shaft rotatablymounted in suitable bearings and in right-angular relation in a suitableupright supporting frame; a two-part non-rotatable cylinder slidablymounted on the driven-shaft and provided with a fixed semi-circularrack; a rigid pinion on the driving shaft ada ted for a meshingengagement with the sai rack; a driving crank on the outer end of thedriving shaft; a balance wheel loosely mounted on the driving shaftadjacent to the said crank, and provided upon the inner end of its hubwith a fixed or integral beveled gear-wheel; an oblique stud-shaftintegral with the said supporting frame; a beveled gear-wheel rotativelymounted on the said stud-shaft in mesh with the said hub gear; and anupright gear-wheel fixed on the drivingshaft in ear with the said bevelgear, whereby the alance wheel is adapted to make three and onethirdrevolutions to every revolution of the driving-shaft and in an oppositedirection.

The principal novel features of my invention are the means for reversingthe rotation of the agitator-shaft and the means for imparting to thebalance Wheel a speed of rotation three and one-half times as great asthat of the driving-shaft.

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the severalviews of the drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of myinvention in position in a supporting frame with the-balance wheelbroken partly away, and showing in dotted outline the upper limit of theslidin cylinder, the driven vertical shaft being bro en away at itslower end. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the twopartsliding cylinder rack through the medium of which the alternate reversalof the driven shaft is secured, the said portion being partly brokenaway to show the arrangementof the longitudinalslot therein. Fig. 3 is afragmentary detail of the central portion of the driven shaft showingthe arrangement of the anti-friction roller. thereon. Fig. 4 is across-section of the sliding cylinder rack showing the means formaintaining the coacting parts in their interlocked engagement; Fig. 5is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section of the balance wheeland the means for actuating the same.

The upright supporting frame 1, of common form has suitable verticallyalined bearings at 2 and 3 for the driven shaft 4, which is known as theagitator-shaft, is supported against downward displacement by the loosecollar 5 and the fixed. pin 6 which passes through the upper end of theshaft.

The driven or power shaft 7 is loosely mounted in the suitable bearingsat 8 and 9 as usual, and has its inner end provided with an antifrictionroller 10 and a fixed pinion 1 1 and has its extended outer end providedwith a fixed actuating crank 12.

The frame 1 is provided at one end thereof with an upright lug 13, Fig.5, having an oblique stud-shaft 14 on which is loosely mounted abevel-gear wheel 15 secured in position thereon by means of a collar 16and a pin 17. A gear wheel 18 of proper dimensions is fixed on thedriving shaft 7 in a suitable position to form an actuating engagementwith the gear-wheel 15. Adjacent to the inner face of the crank 12 isloosely mounted a balance-wheel 19 having a fixed or integral bevel gear20 upon the inner end of the hub adapted for a meshing engagement withthe bevel gear wheel 15. The driven shaft 4 is provided at a suitablepoint with a fixed pin 21 whose outer extended end has a looseantifriction roller 22 for the purpose about to be described.

The means for alternately reversing the driven shaft consists of acasting 23 comprising two centrally apertured circular heads 24, havinga peripheral segmental connecting strip 25 whose oppositely bevelededges 26 and 27 form traclmvays for the roller 10. The segmentalconnection 25 is provided upon its inner face with a centrallongitudinal slot 28 whose opposite ends are connected with the saidcircular apertures of the heads 24.

A second casting adapted for an interlocking connection with the abovedescribed casting, comprises a cylinder 29 having a central bore of thesame diameter as the apertures in the heads 24. Thiscylinder- 29 has-arectangular peripheral ledge or flange,

30 throughout its length adapted to snugly fit the slot 28 in thecasting 23; and is also provided with an angular recess 32 throughoutits length adapted to snugly but loosely receive the roller 22, therebypreventing any rotary movement of the said rack on the driving-shaft.This cylinder 29 is provided midway of its ends with a fixed or integralsemi-circular rack 31 adapted for an actuating engagement with thepinion 11.

The operation and manner of employing my invention thus described isobvious and briefly described is as follows: Rotating the fixed crank 12in either direction will rotate the gear wheel 18 in the same directionthereby also rotating the gear-Wheel 15 in the same direction, and thusrotating the balance wheel 19 in the opposite direction. This operationof the driving-shaft rotates the driven shaft 4 first in one directionand then in the other by the meshing engagement of the pinion 11 firstwith the upper face of the rack 31 and then with the lower face thereofin a well understood manner thereby sliding the rock-cylinder first toits lower and then to its upper limit, the engagement of the roller 22with the longitudinal recess 32 preventing any rotary movement of therackcylinder. In the sliding movements of the rack-cylinder the roller10 is guided, as usual, first down one track 26 and up the other track27. i

The balance wheel gearing is preferably so arranged that the balancewheel will make three and one-third revolutions to one of the drivingshaft, thereby materially increasing its momentum and thereby aiding theoper ator in overcoming any obstruction to the revolution of the drivenshaft in use, as well as materially lightening the labor of operatingthe same c Having thus described my invention and the manner ofemploying the same what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a washing machine mechanism, an upright supporting frame having afixed or integral stud-shaft upon the outer end thereof; a driven shaftrotatably mounted in the frame in vertical arrangement; a two-partnon-rotatable rack cylinder slidably mounted on the said shaft; arevoluble driving shaft mounted in the frame in horizontal arrangement;a rigid pinion on the driving shaft adapted for a meshing engagementwith the said rack-cylinder; an actuating crank fixed on the outer endof the drivingshaft; a balance wheel loosely mounted on the drivingshaft adjacent to the said crank; a bevel gear on the inner end of thebalancewheel hub; a bevel gear wheel loosely mounted on the stud-shaftin mesh with the said hubgear; and a gear Wheel fixed on the drivinshaft in mesh with the said bevel gear whee 2. The combination in awashing machine mechanism of an upright supporting frame having a rigidstud-shaft upon its outer end; a vertical driven shaft; reversing meansslidably mounted on the driven shaft; a rigid pinion onthe inner end ofthe driving shaft adapted for an actuating engagement with the saidreversing means; means for actuating the driving shaft; a balance wheelloosely mounted on the outer end of the driving shaft, and having abevel gear upon the inner end of its hub; a bevel gear wheel looselymounted on the said stud-shaft and adapted for a meshing engagement withthe hub-gear; and a gear wheel fixed on the driving-shaft in mesh withthe bevel gear Wheel, whereby the balance wheel is given a greater speedthan that of the driving shaft.

3. In a washing machine mechanism a supporting frame having an obliquestudshaft near its outer end; a horizontal driving-shaft revolublymounted in the frame; a fixed pinion on the inner end of the drivingshaft; a vertical driven shaft; reversing means slidably mounted on thedriven shaft; means for actuating the driving shaft; a balance wheelloosely mounted on the outer end of the driving shaft; and means forimparting to the balance wheel a greater speed than that of the drivingshaft consisting of means for gearing the said balance wheel to thedrivin shaft on which it is mounted, substantially as described.

4. In a gearing for washing machines a driving-shaft; a fly wheelrevolubly mounted on the driving-shaft and having a beveled gear uponits inner face; a fixed operating handle on the outer end of the drivingshaft;

a pinion fixed upon the inner end of the driv- Signed by me at FortWayne, Alien county. ing shaft; a beveled gear fixed upon the State ofIndiana, this 31st day of October, driving shaft; a driving connectionbetween A. D. 1907.

the said gear and the fly-Wheel; a driven WARREN SWEET. 5 shaft; and areversing mechanism mounted Witnesses:

on the driven shaft in operative engagement AUGUSTA VIBERG;

with the said pinion. WATTS P. DENNY.

